This disclosure relates generally to avionic data. More particularly, this disclosure relates to communicating avionic data based on the type of data and the quality of available communication channels.
As known, avionic data is typically collected from various areas of an aircraft. The avionic data is stored in data files on the aircraft. The data files are periodically communicated from the aircraft to a ground-based system. The aircraft also receives some data files from the ground-based systems to the aircraft. Some of the data files contain more critical data than other data files. As can be appreciated, communicating the data files containing the more critical data is more important than communicating other data files.
The data files may be wirelessly communicated through various communication channels, such as cellular channels, broadband Ethernet channels, WiFi channels, etc. The availability of channels for communicating the data files may change as the aircraft moves relative to the ground-based system. Often, some of the available communication channels are more expensive to use than other available communication channels.
Although a communication channel is available, that channel may be a experiencing a low quality of service. Atmospheric changes, mobile obstructions, availability of free channel bandwidth can all affect wireless quality of service, for example. For instance, when using a WiFi channel connected to a Gatelink service access point while the aircraft is parked at a gate, the system will have to share the available bandwidth of that access point with other transmitters. This could reduce the WiFi channel quality of service to a quality less than another competing communication channel of the same cost. As can be appreciated, the quality of a channel can change during a transmission. Transmitting data files using a channel with a low quality of service may result in a longer transmission time than if the data files were transmitted using a higher quality channel. If the selected channel is experiencing a low quality of service, multiple attempts may be required before a data file is successfully communicated.